Amazon, CBS agree on exclusivity for 'Extant'

January 8, 2014 in Technology / Business

Amazon will have exclusive ad-free streaming rights in the U.S. to a CBS thriller this summer starring Halle Berry.

Episodes will be available for free on CBS.com and CBS' app with ads the day after they air on CBS. Members of Amazon's $79-a-year Prime service will be able to watch "Extant" ad-free four days after broadcast. Non-Prime members can buy episodes, but only through Amazon.

The deal represents Amazon.com Inc.'s latest effort to bring more exclusive content to Prime as it battles rivals Netflix Inc. and Hulu Plus. It also blocks Apple Inc.'s iTunes for sales of episodes.

The arrangement mirrors that involving "Under the Dome," a surprise hit for CBS last summer. Both shows are produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television.